Pressure continues to pile on DPP to respect Speaker’s authority

Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) and the National Advocacy Platform (NAP) have piled pressure on the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to respect the authority of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara, concerning the status of the Leader of Opposition.

In separate statements, EAM and NAP have urged DPP to desist from causing chaos in parliament, but rather wait until the matter is conclusively resolved in court.

On Monday, DPP lawmakers caused chaos in parliament following an announcement by Hara that Nankhumwa would continue serving as Leader of Opposition due to the court order still in operation.

Apparently, DPP legislators wanted their recent appointee, Mary Thom Navicha, to respond to the SONA instead.

This forced Hara to expel 25 MPs for protesting against Nankhumwa responding to President Chakwera’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

But since Tuesday, all the DPP MPs resorted to boycott parliamentary proceedings in solidarity with the ejected MPs.

But EAM General Secretary, Francis Mkandawire, has condemned the direction taken by the DPP lawmakers.

Mkandawire urged the disgruntled MPs to given the court time to resolve the matter.

He also appealed to the courts to give the matter the urgency that it deserves so that sanity is restored in Parliament.

On the other hand, NAP national chairperson Benedicto Kondowe, challenged DPP to rise beyond politics and resolve their differences as it is holding the nation at ransom.

Addressing journalists in Lilongwe on Wednesday, Kondowe said it is imperative that members of Parliament prioritise addressing the pressing issues affecting Malawians and unequivocally uphold the rule of law.

“The significance of both the State of the Nation Address and the budget statement extends far beyond the confines of Parliament,” he said.

He further urged the court to expedite the DPP cases to resolve the matter.

“While we respect its independence, we urge the judiciary to prioritise the swift resolution of this matter. We believe that the judiciary holds a responsibility to address issues promptly in pursuit of justice,” said Kondowe.